Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 255

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 255
Publication Date: December 2013

The start of 2019 also begins the fourth year of my Archie Sonic comic retrospective, if you can believe that. Assuming Trump doesn’t declare himself Eternal God Emperor and starts putting dissidents up against the wall, I will wrap up this project before the year is over. Once again, we join our cartoon animal friends during a time of transition. As 2013 came to a close, Ian Flynn was still establishing the new continuity, reintroducing old characters and showing how the world had changed and stayed the same.

Part three of “Countdown to Chaos” is subtitled “The Rabbot,” leaving no doubt about who this comic is reintroducing. Sonic and Tails rush into the Megaopolis Zone, which has seemingly replaced Robotropolis as Robotnik’s industrial city base. Bunnie went undercover in the city months ago but hasn’t contacted the Freedom Fighters recently, causing them to fear that she’s been captured. Sonic and Tails quickly locate her and she’s fine. However, the heroes are now in the center of a heavily armed city where everyone wants to kill them.

“Countdown to Chaos: Part Three” is a fast paced action story. It’s largely devoted to Sonic, Tails, and Bunnie grabbing a force field generator meant for the Death Egg and then escaping the city. As you’d expect, that means the story is primarily focused on everyone going fast, dodging laser blasts and occasionally tackling some goons. Flynn throws an earthquake into the middle, another reason for our heroes to get the hell out of there. I feel like the issue is a little too fast paced, a little too action packed. The more meditative tone of the last issue was more effective, considering the wounds the book is still dealing with. The non-stop action makes it feel like the book is either compensating for the previous issue’s slower pace or it’s just uncomfortably putting off the emotional conclusion.

But Bunnie is back and that makes up for a lot. Last time we saw Bunnie, she was grieving for a more-or-less dead husband and struggling with feelings of inadequacy due to becoming fully organic again. Now, she’s been rebooted back into a cyborg. Moreover, her upbeat and ass-kicking attitude is back too. And that’s, admittedly, a relief. Bunnie’s new look is also probably my favorite of the redesigned Freedom Fighters. Her new design is basically the same as her old one, just streamlined to fit into the new comic-wide aesthetic.

And while this issue is mostly devoted to action, it does save room for an emotional moment at the end. Sonic and Tails wait until they are out of enemy territory, and Antoine is there for emotional support, to hand Bunnie Nicole. After her old memories are triggered, she looks at her robotic arm and collapsing. What’s sadder? Bunnie getting her dream of becoming normal again before realizing it makes her less of a fighter? Or Bunnie realizing she achieved that dream in an alternate universe and can never achieve it in this one? Either way, I’m glad the book pauses for this powerful moment.

The way Flynn is handling the divide between the old universe and the new one is still bugging me. During the scene were Eggman and Orbot/Cubot arrive at the Arctic base, the scientist explains to his lackies that their memories of the old world will eventually be absorbed by their memories of the new one. So why are Sonic and Tails going to the effort of restoring the Freedom Fighters’ personalities? The comic just admitted this plot point will no longer matter soon! Once again, I wish Flynn and the editors had found a smoother way to bridge the two continuities or just dropped Sonic and Tails into this new world as if they had always been there. We’re never getting Mobius back so why tease us with lingering recollections? Just rip the band-aid off.

Issue 255 introduces a new artist to Archie Sonic audiences. Jerry Gaylord draws this issue. As far as I can tell, this is also Gaylord’s only Archie Sonic credit. You can definitely tell Gaylord doesn’t have much experience drawing these characters. Everyone looks slightly off, their limbs a little too long, their hands a little too big. Gaylord’s facial expressions are also rather samey. Sometimes, this artwork comes off as very flat. When Eggman meets with Tundra, the Egg Boss that will soon be revealed to be the new Rotor’s father, the walrus appears to be occupying a different dimension than everyone else. Gaylord probably would’ve gotten better if he had stuck with the book, as everyone looks somewhat correct, but I can also see why he wouldn’t return.

That’s not the only artwork in this issue that’s seriously off. Someone named Tyler Capps draws the variant cover and it’s really bad. Sonic and his friends pose blankly in a void. Their heads are cramped awkwardly on to their shoulders. Sonic lurches forward in a half-assed attempt at a run. Their bodies and limbs are so elongated and noodley, I’m having Ron Lim flashbacks. I don’t know who Tyler Capps is but it’s obvious he’s also deeply unfamiliar with how to draw these characters. I don’t know why Archie would give such an obviously inexperienced artist a cover gig though.

So I have pretty mixed feelings about this one. It’s great to have Bunnie back, acting like her old self again. However, the issue itself has some pacing problems and is still handling the transition from one ‘verse to another fairly poorly. Sadly, I don’t recall that problem going away after the Freedom Fighters are reunited next issue. [6/10]